Aib and fuel heater for automobile-motors and other oil-engines



J. N. WOOD AND F. ROEWEKAMP. AIR AND FUEL HEATER FOR AUTOMOBILE MOTORS AND OTHER OIL ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-13, 1919. 1,391 ,709. PatentedSept. 27, 1921.

Tease. [151K005 fiederz'cir. oehrelram UNITED STATES JESSE N. WOOD, OF VENICE, ILLINOIS, AND FREDERICK ROEWEKAMP,

MISSOURI.

PATENT OFFICE.

OF ST. LOUIS,

AIR AND FUEL HEATER FOR Au'roMoBILEraoroEs AND OTHER oIL-ENeInEs.

i Application filed September To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that we, JEssE NJWooD and FREDERICK 'ROEWEKAMP, citizensv of the United States, residing, respectively, at Venice, in the county of Madison, State of Illinois, andSt. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air and Fuel Heaters for Automobile-Motors and other Oil-Engines, of which the following is a specification, containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof. p

Our invention consists in the novel disclosure that is hereinafter particularly described and distinctly claimed.

The object of our invention is to cause the motors of automobiles, and allother engines which use gasolene, kerosene oil, and other distillates of petroleum, to operate with greater economy in the use of liquid fuel, whether the engine is used for propelling an automobile or for any other purpose.

A further object. of our invention is to provide an improved air and fuel heater that is especially adapted for use on automobiles, whereby the vehicle will be enabled to run a larger number of miles per gallon of fuel consumed than is possible with the common carbureter and heating devices heretofore known to us.

Referring to the drawings, the figure is a sectional side-elevation of portions of a common automobile, having our invention ready for operation thereon.

The numeral 1 designates the usual motor of an automobile, or the engine of ordinary construction heretofore used to drive motor-boats, trucks, or stationary machinery, as well as tractors.

, The motor 1 is fitted with the usual exhaust-pipe 2 that is connected to the exhaustmanifold (not shown), and this exhaust-pipe leads to, and discharges the heated exhaust products of combustion into, a metallic cylinder or chamber 3, which acts as a mufiler for said products of combustion, and said cham= her 3 also acts as a heater for the air and fuel coils which are contained within the said chamber.

Said chamber 3 is fitted with an exit-pipe 4 at its end which is opposite that to which the saidexhaust-pipe 2 is connected.

The numeral 5 designates the usual fuel Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

13, 1919. Serial No. 323,667.

tank, adapted to hold a supply of gasolene, kerosene-011, or other liquid fuel that is capable of being volatilized.

Connected to the lower portion of the said fuel-tank 5 is a fuel feed-pipe 6, which extends into and through, and is coiled with, an air-heating pipe 7 which passes into one end of said heating-chamloer 3 and out of the opposite end thereof, the composite coil' 8 of sald fuel feed-pipe 6 and air-heating pipe 7 being located in said chamber lengthwise thereof, and extending therein almost the full length of the interior thereof.

An air-inlet 9, for permitting the air to enter said air-heating pipe 7, is located at larger coil 10, which we designate the carbureter-air heating-coil, because the air-pipe of which said coil'lO forms a part, and which is designated by the numeral 11, supplies heated air to the common carbureter 12.

Said carbureter air-pipe 11 hasone of its ends open to the atmosphere and provided with an inlet 14 thatis located on the exterior of the said heating-chamber 3, so that the air entering said pipe at 14 will pass into the said larger coil 10, and'thence out of the opposite end of said heating-chamber, and be discharged into the said carbureter 12.

Said fuel feed-pipe 6, after passing through the said coil 8 within said heating-chamber, is extended and connected to said carbureter 12 in the usual manner.

Connected to the intake manifold 15 of the motor or engine 1, at a point between said intake manifold and said carbureter 12, is a casing 16 containing our oppositely-le cated back-fire exhaust-valves 17 and a checkvalve 18, the latter being located in the space between said carbureter and said exhaust valves, to prevent any possible back-fire from entering the carbureter.

Said exhaust-valves open outwardly, to permit the backfire to escape from said casing 16 into the atmosphere, without damage to the carbureter and parts connected thereto.

Said check-valve 18 has an extensible coiled spring 19 connected to its underside,

' and to an adjacent fixed portion 20 of said ingly held to its seat by the said spring, but is readily opened by the suction of the engine pistons, to admit a proper charge of heated air and gaseous fuel to the intake-manifold 15 during the operation of the motor.

Said exhaust-valves 17 are yieldingly held closed by common leaf springs, which are attached to the said valves at one end and to the casing at the opposite end, to permit said valves to open when a back-fire takes place.

Said air-pipe 7 has a branch 22 at the end which is adjacent the said motor 1, and said branch 'is provided with a common throttle-valve 23, controlled from the automobile dash 25 by means of a crank 25 and a rod 26, which is provided with a suitable handle 27 conveniently located whereby said throttle-valve may be controlled to regulate the heated air passing through the said branch.

Said branch 22 has its delivery-end connected to the said casing 16 at a point between said check-valve 18 and the said carbureter 12, whereby heated airwill be delivered to the mixture of fuel that has passed through said carbureter, to dilute thesaid mixture with heated air, as required to economize in fuel, and enable the engine to drive the car farther per gallon of fuel oil than it would if said heated air were not so admitted.

Of course, additional saving in fuel is effected by heating the fuel oil or gasolene in the compositecoil 8, as before described, inasmuch as the fuel is thereby delivered to the carbureter in a highly heated condition, thus preventing anyof the fuel from being lost by passing through the carbureter, intake-manifold, and the engine cylinders in the form of a mist, which has not heretofore been consumed when the fuel has been of a low grade.

The operation of our invention will be readily understood from the above description.

lVe claim: a I

An improved air and fuel heater for automobile motors and other oil-engines, comprising a heating-chamber, an engine exhaust-pipe connected to said heating-chamber, whereby the latter will act as a muffler for the exhaust as well as a heater for the devices on the interior of said chamber, a composite coil located on the interior of said heating-chamberand consisting of a fuel pipe placed within an air-pipe of larger di ameter then said fuel-pipe and both 'pipes coiled together, a fuel-tank from which liquid fuel is delivered to the said fuel pipe coil, a carbureterto which'heated fuel is de livered by said fuel-pipe coil, a separate air-pipe coil located insaid heating-chamber and connected to said carbureterto deliver heated air to the latter, an engine intakemanifold, a casing connecting said carbureter to said intakermanifold, a check-valve in said casing, anair-pipe connection which leads heated air from one of said coils in said heating-chamber to the interior of said casing at a point between said carbureter and said check-valve, and a valve for throttling the air in saidiairpipe connection.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to. this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JESSE N. WOOD,

FREDERICK" ROEW'EKAMP. Witnesses:

FnANons E. VMORRIS, JOHN C HIGDON. 

